What is the difference between Linux and BSD?

 What is the difference between Linux and BSD?

Both Linux and BSDs are free and open source, Unix-like operating systems. They even use a lot of the same software - these operating systems have more in common than they make differences. So why do they all exist?

There are more differences than we can cover, especially philosophical differences about how to build an operating system and license it. This can help you understand the basics.

The fundamental

What most people call "Linux" is actually not Linux. Linux is technically just the Linux kernel - typical Linux distributions consist of many pieces of software. This is why Linux is sometimes called GNU / Linux. In fact, much of the same software on top of Linux is the same software that was used on the BSDs.

Linux and BSDs both work as Unix-like systems. As we covered when we looked at the history of Unix-like operating systems, Linux and BSD have a different lineage. Linux was written by Linus Torvalds when he was a student in Finland. BSD stands for "Berkeley Software Distribution", as it was originally a set of modifications to Bell Unix created at the University of California, Berkeley. Eventually, it grew into a complete operating system, and now there are several different BSDs.

Kernel Vs. Complete operating system

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Officially, Linux is just a core. Linux distributions must do the work of assembling all the software required to create a complete Linux OS and combine it into a Linux distribution such as Ubuntu, Mint, Debian, Fedora, Red Hat or Arch. There are many different Linux distributions.

On the other hand, the BSDs are both a core and a single operating system. For example, FreeBSD provides both the FreeBSD kernel and the FreeBSD operating system. It is maintained as a single project. In other words, if you want to install FreeBSD, just install FreeBSD. To install Linux, you must first choose from the many Linux distributions.

BSDs include the porter system. which provides a way to install software packages. The port system contains source software, so your computer must compile them before running them. (If you've ever used Gentoo when it's popular, it's a bit like that.) However, packages can also be installed in pre-installed binary form, so you do not have to spend time and system resources collecting them.

Licensing

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However, licensing is a significant difference does not matter to most people. Linux uses the GNU General Public License, or GPL. If you modify the Linux kernel and distribute it, you must release the source code for the changes.

The BSDs use the BSD license. If you modify the BSD kernel or distribution and distribute it, you do not need to drop the source code at all. You are free to do whatever you want with the BSD code, and you are not obliged to release the source code, although you can do so if you wish.

Both are open source, but in different ways. Sometimes people get into debates about which license is "more free." GPL helps users by ensuring that they can have the source code of GPL software, but it limits developers by forcing them to release the code. The BSD license does not guarantee users can have the source code, but it does give developers the freedom to do whatever they choose with the code, even if they want to turn it into a closed source project.

The BSDs

These are often seen as the three "most important" BSD operating systems:

• FreeBSD: FreeBSD is the most popular BSD, and aims for high performance and ease of use. It works well on standard Intel and AMD 32-bit and 64-bit processors.
• NetBSD: NetBSD is designed to run on almost anything and supports many more architectures. The motto of their website is, "Of course it runs NetBSD."
• OpenBSD: OpenBSD is designed for maximum security - not only with the features, but with implementation practices. It is designed to be an operating system that banks and other reputable institutions will use for critical systems.

There are two other notable BSD operating systems:

• DragonFly BSD: DragonFly BSD was created with the design goal of providing an operating system that would work well in cloud thread environments - for example in clusters of multiple computers.
• Darwin / Mac OS X: Mac OS X is actually based on the Darwin operating system, which is based on BSD. It is slightly different from other BSDs. While the low-level kernel and other software are open source BSD code, most of the rest of the operating system is Mac OS code with closed source code. Apple built Mac OS X and iOS on top of BSD so they don't have to write the operating system at a low level themselves, just as Google built Android on top of Linux

Why would you choose BSD over Linux?

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Linux is still more popular than even FreeBSD. Linux tends to get new hardware support before FreeBSD, for example. The BSDs have a compatibility pack available so that they can execute Linux binaries, and most of the software works the same way.

If you have used Linux, FreeBSD will not feel all that different. Install FreeBSD as a desktop operating system and you will end up using the same GNOME, KDE or Xfce desktop environments you want to use on Linux with most of the same other software. However, that's when you first get to this point - FreeBSD does not automatically install a graphical desktop, so you get more than you have with modern Linux distributions. It is an older school experience.

FreeBSD may be preferable on some server operating systems for its reliability and stability. Manufacturers who make devices can choose BSD for the operating system instead of Linux, so they do not have to drop the changes to the code.

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If you are a desktop user, you really do not need to worry too much about the BSDs. You will probably prefer Linux for its superior hardware support, ease of installation and overall modern and bleeding nature. If you are assembling a server or embedded device, you may prefer FreeBSD for another reason.

We'll probably get comments from people using FreeBSD on their desktops now, and you certainly can! But an operating system like Ubuntu or Mint will be more user-friendly and modern for most people.